Greg Norman turns 70 on February 10, but he’s nowhere near ready to live the slow life. If anything, the former World No 1 in professional golf and founding CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf is looking ahead, emboldened by the success that LIV Golf has found in shaking up the sport thus far.
The rippling biceps, piercing eyes and razor-sharp replies provide a rare glimpse into what drives the flamboyant Aussie. Back when he still played competitively, Norman was called ‘The Great White Shark’, a tribute to his aggressive style on the golf course. The nickname further took root when he battled the established the world order headed by the PGA Tour to set up the LIV Golf League, just a few seasons ago.
Greg Norman on the success of LIV Golf
Amid the sense of pride in what he has undertaken and achieved, there is an air of satisfaction about Norman, stemming from the creation of a platform in the golf ecosystem that has provided fresh perspective on the way the sport is perceived. Even as he passes the LIV CEO baton to Scott O’ Neil, he slips into a new role as part of the organising board for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Of course, money played its part in redefining of the lines. But it was also Norman’s charisma and his belief in LIV that helped draw some of the best talent from the PGA Tour to cross the fence.
Patience is the key
It wasn’t easy. The prolonged negotiations behind the scenes and the toil to create acceptance amid the acrimony both took their toll. But three seasons down, Norman can look over his shoulder and say that it has been a job well done, particularly from the perspective of the Saudi-driven Public Investment Fund, the driving force behind LIV.
Asked whether he believes LIV has helped to grow golf by taking top players into previously uncharted territory, Norman is in full agreement. For a man who had believed in the possibility of a league format in professional golf long before LIV ever took shape, it has been about persevering and waiting for the right time.
“I learned very early on that in the world of sport, [it is important to] just be patient. If you stay patient and true to yourself and with people, it will happen.”
To prove his point, Norman talked on the surge of interest in Mexico. “When I was building golf courses there [in Mexico] 25 years ago, there was nothing. Maybe just Lorena Ochoa (LPGA great and former World No 1), right? She was the one who carried the Mexican flag. Now, all of a sudden, look at Mexico, the growth [with the surge of quality players] is just phenomenal in 20 years.”
‘Sleeping giant’
Like Mexico, examples abound, and Norman is confident that LIV’s imprint in Asia will grow quickly even if it does not match the pace at which the league has spread is roots in the golfing hemisphere.
“It’ll happen, it will happen,” he said. Take, for example, the International Series, which was formed in 022 under an agreement between LIV and the Asian Tour. Notably, the series’ sojourn to India for the first time signals an intent to awaken the “sleeping giant” of world golf.
The International Series is certainly proving to be the perfect platform for players aspiring to get on to a LIV team. However, Norman has his eyes on the prize. With 50 percent of golf courses being built around the globe situated in the Middle East and Asia Pacific Rim, Norman, and LIV’s interest in capturing new markets in Asia is borne from this understanding.
Greg Norman, founding CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf took to the greens on the final day of the International Series India at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram. (Image: Asian Tour)
“Three-and-half years ago, when I became CEO of LIV, I wanted to capitalise on that opportunity of understanding what the Asian market was, the sleeping giant.”
Displaying his astute understanding of money matters, Norman’s work in Vietnam with the government back in time found reflection in LIV’s search for new markets.
“Golf could be a leader in economic impact in a lot of ways, and as far as Asia goes, we just have our little toe in the water,” said Norman on the enormous potential waiting to be tapped. He goes on to indicate why the continent features prominently in his strategy, and how it will become a driving force for growth even when he leaves LIV.
There is a word of caution though. Given the diversity of the continent, tailored strategy is advised. “This is significant because you do have to understand that golf is a relationship business and no matter what market we go into, that market needs a different relationship.”
Like last season, LIV will visit Hong Kong and Singapore next month. The growing focus on Asia has added Korea as a new destination in the 2025 schedule with the Jack Nicklaus Golf Course laying out a welcome in early May.
Then, there is the International Series that has propelled the Asian Tour from years of dormancy to the forefront of global Tours. Returning to the winner’s circle after nine years following a long and trying run on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, International Series India champion Ollie Schniederjans acknowledged the opportunity for players looking for quality avenues outside the United States.
“A lot of players don’t fully understand what this opportunity looks like. Honestly, I didn’t think about it much either until Andy Ogletree did what he did. Watching him play so well, win the (2023 International Series) Order of Merit, and earn a LIV Golf spot was eye-opening. The way the LIV Promotions event (in December) was run was one of the most refreshing experiences I’ve had,” he said, speaking on his relief at how life has given him a second chance to prove himself in golf.
Norman was by the 18th green of the DLF Golf and Country Club when Schniederjans rolled in his final putt in twilight to signal redemption, and the tight embrace between the two signified the difference LIV has made.
“I can sit back and say from a different perspective because I’m not the CEO anymore. But when you look back, you actually understand the magnitude of the growth that we’ve delivered in the game of golf, and the International Series is part of that,” he said.
Numbers through innovation
The technology driven TGL, the brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, came up this year as a response to LIV’s novel initiative, merging individual and team-play on a tournament week while engaging fans with multifarious activities within the orbit of the golf course.
“LIV created a new dynamic for golf because it gave an opportunity in the competitive golfing world for a new business model and opening up the ecosystem. Look what happened, you’ve got TGL. Prior to TGL, you had Topgolf. So, all these different formats have come out and enticed millions and millions of people to come into the game of golf. Great. That’s wonderful for all of us,” said Norman.
For Norman, there is more to broad-basing the sport than just tweaking the format — shogun starts, 54 holes and no-cut events. He called it “looking at the youth with their snackable content”. “I wanted to capture the 25 to 35-year-old market. If we capture that as well as the baby boom market, you [can] imagine the spread in that.”
Brisbane chapter
Whenever opportunity has knocked, Norman has been on hand to respond. With his contract with LIV coming to an end in August, Norman found a new path when the Australian government reached out some time back to ask if he was keen on joining the board of the organising committee for the 2032 Olympic Games at Brisbane.
Norman said yes to the opportunity, which will last seven years in his home state and country.
“The opportunities that potentially lay ahead for me was to stay in sport, which is the Olympics, which throws a broad net across every sport in the world. It is very powerful for me. And then help build out the branding and marketing of Brisbane and Queensland and what it represents.”
Given the way Norman has positioned himself and his brand favourably by building golf courses and related infrastructure around the world, the opportunity to create something again is exciting. Norman readily admits, “I have got my little toe in the water right now”, and “I’ve got a lot to learn,” but he is known to thrive in challenges.
Excited by what the future holds, Norman has promised that he has a plan for the golf competition at the Royal Queensland Golf Club, but was again unwilling to reveal much. He repeated what he said in media reports when news first broke of his appointment.
“We will prove our credentials as world leaders in events, sport and hospitality, and create an incredible legacy for this state.”
Norman can be trusted to pull it off, and his country is banking on him to do it. With over four decades of driving excellence in golf, first as a player with 77 wins worldwide, and then administrator, Norman is raring to slip into the role seamlessly when he meets the organising committee for the first time in early April.
(Main and featured images: Asian Tour)
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
